


Lost and Found

by kurgaya



Series: A Cold Dawn at Camlann [8]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-12
Updated: 2014-06-12
Packaged: 2018-02-04 09:13:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1773718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurgaya/pseuds/kurgaya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He hears the heavy footsteps of knights approaching, panics, and scans the tiny room for a place to dump Merlin in the most inconspicuous way possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost and Found

He isn't looking for Merlin when he finds him, and given the size of the castle and the number of areas that his manservant could hide away in, this comes as a surprise to Arthur. However he isn't the prince for nothing, and so the sight of the lanky country boy that had recently been thrust into his service, sitting on a stool in the corner of the room only startles him for a moment, but he doesn't show it. He's not entirely sure what room he's just walked into anyway, (though if a visiting Lord or Lady asked he would politely insist that he knew the layout of the _whole_ castle), but that doesn't change the fact that Merlin is slouched over himself, a bucket of water and a cloth on his right, and a pile of armour on his left.

Arthur lets out a frustrated noise when he realises the armour is his own, unimpressed with the disgruntled state it was in, discarded like trash on the floor and probably half-way to rusting, and he snaps out a harsh "For goodness sake!" as he strides across the room. His intention is to reprimand his _useless lump of a manservant_ , yet as he picks up a vambrace to clobber the goofy-eared waste of space around the head with it, he notices that Merlin is, in fact, fast sleep. Raven head bowed, his eyes are shut and his pink lips parted, near-silent breaths of air escaping and filling his lungs with each rise and fall of his chest; he looks young, incredibly so, and Arthur doesn't like it.

He continues staring at his slumbering manservant for a few more moments, an expression similar to a childish memorisation settled onto his features, and then puts the vambrace back down. Merlin makes a small sound at the accidental clatter but doesn't wake. Arthur almost wishes he would, just to dispel the thick _vulnerable_ atmosphere that has swallowed them up, but the boy stubbornly remains true to his inept nature and doesn't follow his master's orders. When he takes note of just how inappropriate he's being, Arthur curses himself and turns away - he can't just leave Merlin asleep though, so he flails, turning back with a groan, and scoops his servant up into his arms. The bucket clunks as it tips onto the ground, dirty, soapy water spilling out onto the stone, but he pays it no mind and shifts Merlin into a more comfortable position, his sharp hip bones and elbows making this a difficult maneuver.

 _Bed_ , he thinks, knowing what Gaius would say about the situation. It wasn't too far to Gaius's rooms (he hopes) and if anybody dared ask the _Prince of Camelot_ what he was doing with a dead-weight servant snoozing against his chest, Arthur would just brush them off with an order or five and -

He hears the heavy footsteps of knights approaching, panics, and scans the tiny room for a place to dump Merlin in the most inconspicuous way possible. He could just return Merlin to his seat and act like nothing had happened, but it was likely the knights would gain pleasure in waking and teasing the dazed servant, so he leaps across the room and lifts the lid off of the large basket of _something_ underneath the window, carefully folds his manservant up, and then drops him inside. It's a tight fit but luckily the basket's mostly empty, and two knights appear in the doorway just as he places the lid back on and mentally wipes his brow.

"Sire," one of them begins, and Arthur can already hear the message from his father. "The King requests your presence."

The other knight shuffles, apparently not enjoying being sent on such a lowly task, and so Arthur relieves them both with a wave of his hand. They glance at each other, nervous, and he realises that they wish for him to go with them - he doesn't sigh, because he's the prince, but it's a close thing. "Let us go then," he says, much to their delight, and they follow him out of the room.

He knows Merlin wakes up disorientated and trapped an hour or so later, for the young serving girl that finds him screams loud enough to alert the guards and persuade half the castle into believing there's a dead body in one of the laundry baskets. If Merlin ever questions about how he got there, he never brings it up in Arthur's presence.


End file.
